Unbreakable
by CrypticNiteMare
Summary: All it took was one night in order for their lives to be flipped upside down. Ruby is robbed of her innocence. Weiss is pressured at home to do things the Schnee way and to abandon those who need her. Blake leaves an abusive relationship that won't stop until he has her back. Yang is left alone when she is framed for murder. How will they ever get out of this?
1. Chapter 1

"Gosh darn it, Yang," the red figure muttered as she walked alone on the cold street in the dark. She puffed a breath out and it hung in the air, obviously the temperature was dropping much faster than she had anticipated. The season was shifting from cold to freezing, and she judged that by the thick clouds rolling in, it would be a matter of time before it would be raining. She held her bright red hood on either side in her hands, trying her hardest to keep from obviously shivering in the breeze.

The shattered moon above her shone dimly behind the said clouds as her memory of what happened earlier seeped into her thoughts. She grit her teeth in frustration of a certain blonde haired girl that seemed to just go where the party went. She had _promised_ her a special night tonight. They were supposed to go to dinner and see a new movie that premiered. It had been tradition, one that had been failing for so long.

But Ruby hoped that her older sister would have some sympathy for the anniversary of their mother's death. She understood that they were older now and times changed, so she could forgive the missed sister dates from time to time, but this?

"This was supposed to be our night," Ruby whispered to nobody in particular. She watched her words hang in a cloudy puff once more before they were whisked away in the wind, the clouds above her closing in on the street. The wind chill caused her to close her eyes for a few seconds, recalling the full detail of what had occurred…

…

" _Yang, are you KIDDING me?" Ruby nearly bellowed, her emotions hanging dangerously close to the edge. Tonight was mom's night, the night they promised to spend together. When Ruby's, and even Yang's mom, had left… died…. They agreed to never leave each other's sides on this day in particular. It was the day that meant the world to them both._

 _Or so Ruby thought._

" _C'mon, Rubes, I'll make it up to ya! It's the hottest party in Remnant tonight, I gotta be there. Do ya wanna come too? Will that make you happy?" Yang replied nonchalantly with her burning smile planted on her near flawless face, her blonde hair styled with absolute grace. Normally, Ruby would have been proud of Yang's appearance, she knew that her sister had the face and form to wow every person on the continent, But now? Now she wished her sister was a nobody._

" _Yang, you go to college and you're grown up. Awesome! You only wanna talk to me at home. Great! But all I'm asking for is one night. One." Ruby pleaded to the girl as she walked to her motorbike, her mood obviously dwindling as Ruby's pitch increased at the end of every sentence. She didn't care right now though. All she wanted was for Yang to listen._

 _Yang stopped short of her yellow motorcycle, her head turned away from Ruby as she looked forward, and with an annoyed sigh released her thoughts "Ruby, it's been over 15 years, when will you let this go? She's gone, it doesn't mean we have to live like… like…"_

" _Say it, Yang," Ruby challenged to the back of her sister's head, but her heart pounded against her chest, breaking with each passing second. Her mind challenged Yang to confirm but her soul was begging Yang to back down. Ever since their mom left, Yang, her dad, and their uncle was all that mattered. To her, at least. Even worse, it was Yang that filled the feminine gap in Ruby's life. She needed Yang. What sucked? Yang didn't even seem to want Ruby anymore._

" _We don't need to live like this anymore. We're grown, we can have our own lives now. I'm choosing mine because instead of being so sad all the time like you, I can change how I feel now. I choose myself." Yang grabbed onto the handles of the bike, her leg lifting over the seat in order to balance on the other side and get ready to take off. She sighed once again, not making any eye contact to her little sister that stared at her helplessly from a couple of feet away. She said what she said, and even getting off the bike now wouldn't do anything to console the girl. The words had already been said. She might as well ride the wave, crash or not._

" _Yang-"_

 _The engine of the bike roared to life as Yang leaned forward, immediately moving further and further away from Ruby in a matter of seconds. Ruby watched as Yang's silhouette grew smaller and smaller in the distance before realizing that her vision was getting blurry. She rubbed her eyes with her fist and felt dampness as she pulled it away. Ruby saw small droplets of smeared water on her hand and knew what she was doing. She began feeling the rivers overflow from her sad silver eyes, each side racing the other to get to the bottom of her cheek. No matter how many times she wiped, it seemed that the flow came back in fuller and fuller force. Her breathing had become choppy and labored, with her lungs starting to ache harshly inside of her. She hiccupped for a chance to breathe but ended up making things worse as each gasp for breath just seemed to fuel her pain even more._

 _She stood still for what felt like years, but eventually felt her hiccups slow. The back of her throat was becoming dried out from the air she tried to suck in and her face seemed nearly stained with tears. She grabbed onto the sleeves of her hoodie and wiped harshly, her skin was flushed red already, what did a little irritation matter?_

 _Ruby closed her eyes, wishing to wake up from this bad dream. Unfortunately, she stayed there until she accepted that Yang wasn't coming back to her that night. With a sad sigh that knew the weight of the world, she turned around and began her trek home._

" _I'm so sorry."_

 _There was nobody that replied back to her._

…

Ruby opened her eyes finally, her silver eyes watery once again from the reminder of what a true failure this night was. Her light skin shone dully, the clouds thickening to the point where the shattered moon was nearly blocked. Her black hair did well in covering her view, her eyes barely looking in front of her anything more than two feet. It was okay to her, she didn't want to be noticed anymore, and she had every hope in the world to be seen at one point. But now? Now she just wanted to be alone.

With only her thoughts as her company, Ruby replayed every possible scenario and outcome over and over in her head. She thought of ways that tonight could've ended differently, she thought of ways it could've ended the exact same. She frowned at the concrete below and then realized something had appeared in her vision.

"Hey, girl."

Ruby hardly looked up to the gruff voice, her shoulders sinking further back at the tall man standing in front of her. She continued staring down, noticing the black boots that blocked her path.

"Please, sir, I'm just trying to get home," Ruby sighed, already moving her feet to move out his way. She knew she was attractive to certain people, and normally she would flutter at any sort of foreign attention. But, in that moment, she was not in her normal element. As of right then and there, she was tired.

Not tired, _exhausted_.

Ruby was once again stopped by the pair of boots still in front of her, them seeming to have moved with her. She raised her head further up, her eyebrow rising in questioning. Even though she looked further up his face, she noticed he had some sort of wrap around his mouth and a beanie on his head. His own features that Ruby could clearly make out were his eyes. They were blue.

But not just blue… electric blue. Blue that could create a current capable of stopping your heart. Blue that meant to harm anyone that came close. He wasn't just clumsy in following her, he meant to follow her. He was _angry._

 ***TRIGGER WARNING STARTS HERE** *****

"Can I-?" Ruby began to question but was quickly cut off by the sudden force. She was pushed to the side, near the mouth of an alley. She opened her mouth to yell and scream but she was quickly silenced by the man's hand being placed over her mouth. Ruby's eyes widened as she realized that she was still being shoved down the alley, moving farther and farther away from the security of streetlights and cameras and, more specifically, other people.

Ruby thrashed up against the man, her hands beating and clawing against the arms and chest of the man who still managed to keep his hand over her mouth while simultaneously moving her. She realized that, against his thick winter clothes, her efforts were futile. As she was, quite literally, fighting for her life, he was barely feeling additional pressure.

Ruby felt her body stop moving and then felt a sharp pain against her back as he grabbed her body and slammed her up against the wall. He moved his hand from her mouth and Ruby _screamed_.

Another painful blow came, her back aching from the rough brick wall shoved against her spine. Still, her grunts of pain were released and she felt her head turn to the right, her left cheek now crying in angry red pain. She felt his arm pull back to his side, his left hand gripping the collar of her hoodie, keeping her upright as she took the hit. It was then she realized that this… beast… punched her.

"Scream again and you'll get hit harder," the gruff voiced sounded again, rougher than anything Ruby had heard in her entire life and her uncle was Qrow Branwen. It was because, it wasn't the voice of the man that made him rough, it was his tone, it was his intentions. Ruby knew that her dad and uncle loved her and they showed it through everything they ever did. This man didn't love her, hell this man didn't even _like_ her. He cared for her nothing and he expressed it clearly through such a simple sentence.

Still, Ruby opened her mouth wide once again. She needed to get out of his grasp NOW.

Quicker than the voice could leave her mouth, she was punched again, as promised, _harder_. Ruby didn't move her head back forward to face him, instead, she had thoughts on the metallic taste that now flooded her mouth. She swallowed the unsettling blood and saliva mixture, some of it hanging from her lips as she had difficulty keeping her breathing steady.

"Stubborn lil bitch, aren't ya?" He smirked through his cloth, venom lacing his words as they oozed out and attacked the poor girl in his grasp.

Ruby said nothing, her face still directed away from him. She needed a plan, she needed a plan…

"Here's what is gonna happen, sweetheart," He breathed insanely, his body pushing against Ruby's. Her small stature was now getting absolutely squished between this man's massive body size and the hard brick behind her. She flinched as she was being pressed again, knowing her back was probably already bruising from the abuse. "You're gonna take off your pants, I'm gonna take off mine, and we're gonna have some fun."

Ruby didn't even have to look at his man to know that he meant every single word. She felt his… excitement pressed against her, digging in.

She felt sick, she felt her body panic underneath him. The thing was, she was stuck. She couldn't move her head, she could hardly move her arms.

But she still had to try.

Before she could think rationally enough, she brought her arms up over his and grabbed his ears, pulling them down in an attempt to get him to back away and give her the space she needed to run. She pulled hard against him, doing her best to get him to take that one needed step back.

"Bitch!" He yelled, taking the bait and releasing the grip on Ruby's collar. As she was finally released from his grasp, she felt her feet firmly planted on the floor. Without another word, she ran down the alley, hopeful to see those familiar streetlights and maybe even a cop.

 _Uncle Qrow_ , Ruby prayed silently, _Yang, dad, anybody PLEASE_.

She continued to run, hearing the man scrambling to keep up with her. His furious steps trying to catch up to her pace that she was running. Ruby actually wanted to smirk, this guy had no idea that she was on the track team in high school. Running gave her a thrill that nothing else quite could and she was really kicking it up a notch by literally running for her life. She wanted to laugh at the irony, but the steps were picking up and she needed to get as far away from this alleyway as humanly possible.

With the end of the alleyway approaching, she gloated at hearing the steps behind her fade away further and further behind her. She had did it, she had gotten herself out of a situation that could've ended very, very bad. She'd tell her Uncle Qrow, he'd get his best guys on it and this slime ball would live the rest of his life _rotting_ -.

 ***TRIGGER WARNING ENDS HERE** *****

Ruby then crashed into a semi-solid object, nearly knocking herself off her feet. She looked up to see the thing she had crashed herself into, a person. Thankfully she looked up at the person, another man, but nearly squealed in contentment that it wasn't the guy chasing her.

"Please, sir, help me! There's this bad guy chasing me down and-and I need help. I think he's still on his way!" Ruby explained as she waved her arms around. Her senses told her to look behind her but the more rational side of her said that she'd be okay now. She'd found someone.

She felt two hands clasp around her shoulders and the man in front of her leaned in closer to her face, tobacco on his breath as he spoke, "Oh man, oh man. Something has got to be done about this."

Even though her normal reaction would be to get away from his yucky smell, Ruby heard his words and wanted to cheer but the delivery of them seemed to go to a level that made her uncomfortable. She didn't have much time to think about it before she heard the slow, heavy steps that had appeared behind her all of a sudden. Ruby wanted to run behind the savior but his hands still kept her firmly planted in her spot. She shivered. Everything should be okay, right?

"You there," the guardian asked, a smarmy smirk appearing on his face that could've sent chills down Ruby's spine, "You harassing this little girl?"

"Sure am." The rugged voice said. Ruby's eyes widened to this man's confession. He admitted it to the stranger, she could have this guy crying to his mom in the courtroom. She had the witness too! Everything was going perfectly legal wise, but why did Ruby still have the feeling that she lost?

"Well then," the angel continued smoothly, his fingertips digging into Ruby's shoulders, "You might want to finish."

Ruby felt her body fling backwards into the arms of the man that chased her down. She struggled against the now iron-like grip he had against her abdomen. She flailed in his grasps once more, her body feeling the inevitable evil radiating off of these two men. The man that she once saw as an angel took a few dominant steps towards her and Ruby finally had the chance to see the man's features.

He was tall and skinny, but he looked like the type of guy you wouldn't want to meet one on one. His hand reached into his white coat pocket, pulling out a fat stick looking object and a lighter. Ruby watched with bitter eyes as all he did was light it as she still wriggled around in the arms of her captor. He put the stick, which Ruby now recognized as a cigar, into his mouth and puffed like it was the most delicate thing in the world and the girl in front of him was garbage. He walked closer to Ruby, he leaned down from mere inches from her face and smiled genuinely at the caged girl, smoke leaking from his mouth as he did so. She looked at his red hair that dangled in side bangs poking outside of his black bowler hat. Then she finally stared at his green eyes glow dangerously at her.

Even though she knew she couldn't beat them both in strength, she still fought. She'd always been taught to fight.

"I never said I'd help," he spoke, a condescending ring to it, "I only do things for a fee."

"I can get you money," Ruby rushed, "I can get you…"

"Hmm? What can you get me that I don't already have? I've more than enough money to get me by, but you know what I _love_?"

Ruby looked at him, knowing that she didn't have to ask for him to finish his sentence.

"I love the thrill of doing _bad_ things."

Ruby bent over by the sudden punch to her gut, her eyes widening in horrific pain as he twisted his knuckles around. She felt his fist pull back just to immediately come back with a powerful force. She felt her eyes stinging as her small groans of pain escape her mouth as he kept punching into her, she didn't even bother to stand straight anymore since she just kept getting punched.

Her captor that held her snickered in her ear, feeling his time coming. He held onto the weak girl with one hand as he began to handle his pants with the other, his excitement begging to come out.

The red haired man put his fingers on Ruby's chin, picking it up so that way they could look each other in the eyes. Ruby's silver eyes had dulled, the pain of everything finally taking over her senses. She hardly moved her pupil to meet his.

"Heh, still with us?"

He leaned back up, taking a long drag from the cigar in his hand before exhaling it back out, giving Ruby a long, wild look, "Well, Red," he spoke, "I like your spunk. I can promise you that you'll live after this is over."

He turned around and flicked his cigar to the ground before crushing it with the heel of his shoe, his back to Ruby as he chuckled to himself, "I'm just not entirely sure if you'll want to."

He began walking, his shoes clicking on the rough asphalt as he left the semi-conscious girl and the big guy behind. He didn't even think twice about turning the corner when he heard clothes being ripped and muffled grunts going on. He moved his hair back to the side, partially covering his right eye. He felt tiny beads of sweat on his hairline from the exercise of using a punching bag caught up to him. He wiped with his long sleeve and relished the cold air as he saw small drizzle drops fall onto the concrete. He continued walking reaching for an umbrella that didn't exist on his waist anymore. He must've dropped it in the alley. He gave an annoyed huff as the drops began hitting hard, he pulled up his collar closer to his neck, "Looks like everybody is gonna have a bad night, Red."

…

Ruby opened her eyes and immediately shut them in pain. She was lying on the cold concrete of an alleyway, she felt that much.

 _But-but why are my pants..?_

And just like that, her memory was returned to her. Each and every graphic detail about what happened hours ago refreshed itself and played over and over again in her head.

Ruby groaned, feeling sore as every muscle in her body screamed at her to stop moving. She twitched her fingers, trying to get used to movements again. She let the movement move up her arm until she was able to bend it and sit up, that way she could get away from the freezing floor.

 _But my pants_ …

Her pants were halfway down her legs, dirtied from the alleyway garbage that was lying around. This was how she was left, no better than throwing trash away. Not even respected enough to be covered. Her eyes were still hardly open in slits but managed to notice that her scroll laid broken in pieces mere feet away from her. Ruby sighed, wanting nothing more than to lay back down and go back to sleep, anything to forget what had happened just for a little bit.

 _But_ , she thought _, I'll never get home by staying here_. For now, she was impressed with her thought process. She knew she needed to get home and get clean in order to avoid questions.

Ruby moved her legs, a load groan escaping her mouth as she did so. She was one of the fastest runners in all of town, she knew what it was like to have sore pains. This, though, was not sore pain.

Her thighs leading up to her privates were covered in dried up blood, caked on from the cold. Ruby wanted nothing more than to cry at the sight, but she knew she had to leave now before the man came back. She pushed up her pants back to position and buttoned them closed.

She observed her surroundings near her and found a rather short trashcan overflowing with garbage. She sighed, put her arms on the rim, and pulled herself up. It took everything in Ruby to not fall back down from the amount of ache her body was screaming.

"Ack!" She hissed, her body shaking in near tantrum. She bit her lip and looked down at the damage. Her legs wobbled underneath her, her clothes mangled and dirtied beyond recognition, and she felt like she had been set on fire. Yet, she couldn't help but feel proud for standing right now.

She knew she had to get home.

"C'mon, Ruby," the girl muttered through grit teeth, "Let's get home at least." She knew that she was being extremely uncharacteristic right now and she was almost thankful for it as she took her first step. She had read a lot about stress and shock and how it can activate certain things and cause someone to change into something previously unseen.

She took a couple of more steps.

When your body undergoes traumatic events, the brain will act completely on its own. It can slow down time, it can cause delayed reactions, it can reduce you to a shell. The thing was, you never knew what happened to you unless you had something to cause these reactions. Ruby, for the most part, had never been through anything in her life that damaged her. Nothing in her life had ever caused to think about fight-or-flight seriously. She never thought it would matter.

She made it to the street, sidewalk welcoming her from the alleyway that robbed her. She stared, as the rough asphalt turned into smooth, chalky concrete below her. She shivered, which sent a wave of sharp pain through her body, from the cold. It was then she realized that she was soaked in rainwater, noticing the puddles just beyond her in the street and behind her. How could she have missed that?

 _Oh, right._

Was it normal to want to chuckle?

 _No_.

Shut up.

Ruby walked carefully, noting where she was. It was even later in the night so she was extra attentive and stayed near busy streets and streetlights. She stayed aware of people walking in front of and behind her, as well as the people on the other side of the street. She would normally have headphones in but one, her scroll was broken and two, she was listening to other things. She would set her ears on passing cars, careful to hear of them slowing down or speeding up. Any indication that maybe they were there for a malicious pick up.

 _Lotta good this could've done you earlier, huh?_

Ruby shook her head, the ringing of this new voice still staying with her. It was… much more direct than a conscious. It couldn't be her conscious right? What did _she_ do? Wasn't she the victim?

She continued treading down each street perplexed about the mental companion she picked up, finally making it before her and her sister's apartment complex. It was perfect, not in a bad area, homey, and had plenty of room for the two sisters and whatever companion would be over. She walked into the brown building, even though it looked black at this time of night.

"Ruby!"

It was then that Ruby froze solid from the hand on her shoulder. She felt her heart drop to her stomach and her breathing fall shallow. She was home. This couldn't happen again. This couldn't happen again. This COULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.

She elbows flew backwards, hitting the person behind her solid in the stomach. She felt them crumple over as she took a step forward, turning around and expecting to see the same horrific, evil beast-

Her thoughts came to a halt as she saw a man with blond messy hair hunched over coughing from the wind being knocked out of him. He looked up, breathing heavily, "A... haaa-little haa jumpy there?"

"Jaune!" Ruby said in surprise, already walking back towards the man, "I'm so sorry! Y-you just scared me and-"

"Hey," he mustered a smile, already standing back up at his full height, "no harm, no foul." He looked her over carefully, noticing some serious bruising on her face. His face softened, "Are you okay? You got some marks on your face."

"You were just hunched over in pain and you're asking if I'm okay?" Ruby deadpanned before a slow smile appeared, "It just rained outside and I slipped when I wasn't looking. Fell pretty bad on my face, so be careful okay?" Jaune was one of her neighbors in the complex. He actually moved in on the day that Ruby and Yang moved in. It was his first big move from home and he was completely alone and fragile and helpless. Needless to say, he was so nervous that he accidentally threw up on Yang's shoes when she and Ruby went to go introduce themselves. Since then though? Perfect neighbor besties.

"Ah, alright, I was worried you got into a fight for a second there. I'd hate to see the other guy," he joked, still examining the marks, "You gotta watch for the slippery spots, winter is definitely coming. I have some bandages and stuff in my place if you need anything," his hand resting on his waist with the other on the back of his head. Ruby nodded, keeping her smile ever present to thwart him off of what really happened. He moved his arms back before continuing, "But what I was going to say before you turned all ninja on me," Ruby frowned in guilt, "Was if you wanted to join me and some pals for a movie?"

"Isn't it a little late?"

Jaune shrugged, "Only time that worked for all of us."

Normally Ruby would've loved to go, especially given how she was supposed to be out with Yang tonight anyways. But, she was still exhausted, and she knew that she was a ticking time bomb.

Ruby bit her lip, "I'm sorry, I'm just gonna turn in for the night."

"No problem, you look a little _beat_ ," Jaune smirked, knowing of his painfully bad pun that would make Yang holler, "But we'll have dinner soon?"

This made Ruby smile, "Of course."

"Awesome, well I'm outta here. Night, Ruby, ice that elbow of yours," Jaune laughed as he turned to walk out of the building. Ruby watched him leave and scanned around for anybody else. She sighed, heading to the elevators. Normally, she would take the stairs but…

 _DING_

The elevator doors opened and Ruby punched in her floor number, her mind slowing down as the doors closed in front of her. She felt the machine operate around her, fighting against gravity to bring her to her living space. It was a funny thing to think about, she knew it, but she also sensed that these random thoughts are what kept her from thinking about-

 _Congrats, you got it_

Ah yes, her friend in her head. Yet another question she had. But for now, she was more focused on getting into her room, into her bed. A place that she could be safe and really just… be free. She was sure that Yang wasn't home yet and she would just be able to lie there and rest. Or lie there and cry. Whichever came first.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened up again, revealing Ruby's floor. She gave herself a small, tired smile as she took a single step out of the elevator before falling down to the floor.

 _Ouch, looks like your time is about up. Grab your popcorn because it's show time._

"You are the worst conscious somebody could ever have," Ruby puffed as she picked up her badly beaten body. She half crawled, half walked her way to get front door marked 718.

"Home sweet home," she muttered, stuffing the keys in and twisting until the door popped open. Even though she was managing through the pain, she wanted nothing more than to sit down and not move ever again. She wondered if she was just making it worse for herself, since Jaune just needed a simple explanation to be satisfied with her marks. Still, it was Jaune. As much as Ruby cared about the guy, he was a little dense. And a little gullible. And a little too happy.

Granted, none of these things were bad, per say, but they definitely didn't equate him to recognizing what happened to Ruby that night. She didn't know if she was grateful or not.

" _I can promise you that you'll live after this is over."_

She plopped onto the couch, her body thanking her for something soft as she felt her muscles relax for the night. It took everything in her to not pass out then and there, though she probably should've. Instead, Ruby thought of the night in its entirety, from point A to Z. Now, she was safe to express her true raw feelings. She now understood the dangers of tonight, she understood the magnitude of everything and what it meant. Words, thoughts, actions all flooded her mind, ifs, ands, and buts all crashed into her scenarios. She didn't know anything anymore. How could she? What had she done to deserve this? Did anybody do anything to deserve this? Who could she tell? Did she need to tell? Would someone blame her? Would they come back if she told?

" _I'm just not entirely sure if you'll want to."_

She didn't even try and stop herself from crying.

 **And there we have it! Chapter 1 of this… crazy road I've decided to travel on. Look, I love the RWBY gang, truly I do. But I know I'm not the only one that's thought if things went a little… differently.**

 **So really quick, I'm going to address some things. This is an AU, Faunus still exist but the creatures of Grimm do not. Because of that, Huntsmen and Huntresses do not exist either. I like to take a look at the true monsters in this world… people. So by taking out Grimm, I get to do just that. Now, this also RWBY centered. Each of the girls will be up to bat at any given chapter so there may be multiple chapters before getting a look at someone and how their plot is going. Of course, I'll still have their friends and their families come into play but they won't have as big of a focus as RWBY. YES, they will interact and find love. Maybe find heartache. Maybe find death. Who knows?**

 **CHAPTER FUN FACT: Their apartment number is 718 because RWBY first premiered July 18** **th** **, 2013. Ah, such simpler times.**

 **Next chapter looks at Yang annnnnd some others. 10 points if you can guess the three.**


	2. Chapter 2

" _Yang-"_

The blonde shook her head for what felt like the millionth time that night. It seemed that every couple of minutes, her little sister calling her name would sound off in her head, making Yang relive her leaving Ruby behind all over again. Yang shrugged, annoyed at the situation she was in. Yang had lived her entire life being both the big sister and mother to Ruby. She understood that it would be them against the world but it wasn't always like that. Correction, it didn't always _need_ to be like that. Sometimes, Yang wanted to pick herself, sometimes she wanted to party. Sometimes she wanted to see what the world had to offer. Could you blame her? She took a look around, noticing the intoxicated smiles, the knowing smirks, and the belligerent laughs. She leaned back into the couch she was sitting on, a ghost of a smile playing at her lips.

It wasn't Ruby's scene and Yang couldn't blame her for that, of course she didn't pressure Ruby into drinks and people. She knew how her sister could be, she knew that Ruby wouldn't ever want to put herself out there for Yang. Yang didn't want to change her sister, she only wanted to be sure she was living the life she actually wanted. But, that wasn't why Yang was upset. Ruby was coddled, afraid to venture out on her own unless family was there, and even then that was a nightmare in terms of difficulty. Yang was twenty! She couldn't have her little sister still following her around everywhere. Still, even though she liked to party, Yang hadn't even had a sip of her drink tonight. This was messing with her head too much.

" _Yang-"_

Yang sighed slowly, her eyebrows crinkling in wards, causing an intense wrinkle to show. She loved Ruby, more than anything and anyone in the world. But she wanted to be selfish too. She deserved that much. These were her selfish years! She would only be twenty once. From here on out, it was school and studying, graduating and career time. When was she expected to have time for herself? Make mistakes for herself? Just to learn who she was for herself? Yang closed her lilac eyes, already sensing it coming.

" _Yang-"_

So… with all of that, why did she feel so guilty? Why did she have such a nagging urge to go to her sister right now? It was so simple and it was so easy. Just get up, leave, and be with her sister for this night. Ruby loved Yang and Yang loved Ruby, a simple set of apologies, a classic comedy, and a tub of ice cream could make both of the sisters happy for tonight. It wasn't as if this party was one of a kind, she could find the same crowd again here next week.

" _Yang-"_

Yang opened her eyes, set on her plan now. She would just go be with her baby sister. If she were honest, it was one of the only places she could just be. She knew Ruby loved and adored her, willing to do anything for her. And yet, Yang took it for granted. Not anymore.

Yang stood up from the worn in couch, grabbing her jacket that she had been sitting on. She looked around seeing mobs of people dancing, drinking, and taking questionable substances. The volume was so high, that the music playing was shaking the walls in rhythmic vibrations instead of the music it was supposed to be. She took a couple of steps, maneuvering her way past people that were clearly already wasted.

"Yang!"

The voice made Yang stop, because this one wasn't in her head, it was in person. She turned around, looking to see where the possible voice could've came from. Next to her was a couple making out, a little ways down was a group dancing, and then she just saw the shifting of bodies moving around trying to navigate the crowd. Yang squinted into the line, not seeing anyone distinguishable in the crowd that could've called out her name. She was about to turn back around until she heard the-

"Up here!"

It took Yang all of a second to realize where the voice came from this time, with a smirk, she looked up at the guy she knew would be there. It turned out, he was smirking back and hanging upside down from one of the many horizontal poles he specifically set up in the house for himself. His strong tail made it easy for him to hang and, with him being the host, even easier to get around when throwing banging parties with tons of guests that constantly needed supervision.

Sun Wukong was every girl's dream guy. A winning smile, an upbeat attitude, abs, charisma, blue eyes, abs, a gaggle of hot friends, and, well, abs. He did a quick flip with his tail that propelled him on his feet, landing carefully in front of Yang. His blond hair bounced with him as he caught his balance and his smirk never left his face. Yang noticed that, as usual, he wore a buttoned shirt that was oh so conveniently left unbuttoned so everyone could see his toned abs on display. Yang had to admit, Sun knew how to play his features.

Not to mention, Yang had met Sun at one of his parties when they were both freshmen in college. Yang recalled the memory fondly, remembering how nervous she was getting dressed, how nervous she was walking in, and how nervous she was when Sun first introduced himself. By no means was Yang shy, but he was what brought her into the world of being social, of being daring. She also remembered how Sun got completely wasted and tried to make out with her that night.

Of course, nothing ever came out of it. All Yang did was politely tell him to back off or he'd be missing a _very_ important part of him when he woke up the next morning. That statement being given with a pure smile was enough to sober Sun up a little to not try again with that. Instead, he struck up a conversation. Funny enough, when the night ended, he invited her back the next weekend for a party. He ended up being Yang's first really good friend in college, even when he did drop out to pursue his own dreams. Oh how the times did change.

"Yang Xiao Long," he smirked, "Leaving without saying bye? Isn't that, like, punishable by three shots or something?"

Yang smiled, knowing him, but quickly lost her humor by remembering her poor sister," I'm sorry, Sun, I just-"

"Ah ah ah!" He pushed a finger to her lips, effectively silencing her, "No down feelings at my party. We forget about problems here. What do I always say?"

Yang leaned her head back to get away from his finger and mockingly took up Sun's tone, "That's future us's problem."

His smirk somehow got bigger, "Oh how right you are." From literally nowhere, Sun placed a drink in Yang's hand before she could even fight it.

"Sun, I can't-"

"Op op op," Sun cut her off again, it was a wonder how Yang hadn't punched him yet, "Let me talk first and then you second. Because I can guarantee what is bringing you down can be fixed by what I'm about to say."

Yang raised a single eyebrow, granting Sun to speak. She had known him for a couple of years now and if he said drinks or anything of the like, she'd respectfully decline and continue on her way out. For now though, she humored him.

He placed his arm around Yang's shoulders, turning her to see the room before them. He pointed her in a direction that Yang followed, her eyes widening at the sight. What she saw was enough to get her heart thumping. She saw two girls, rather close to one another with each one taking leisurely sips of their drinks in their hands. One had long black hair, topped with a black bow on her head. Her body was lean and pale, some of her muscles clenched as she held the drink in her hand. Yang's eyes drifted down her body, noticing how her white shirt cut off to reveal her flat stomach. Before Yang's eyes would descend any further, she shook her head and forced herself to look up to the girl's face. She had bright eyes that seemed to be alert to every little thing, since Yang saw her scan the room every couple of seconds, almost as if she was expecting somebody to show up at any time now. Yang turned her head to the other girl she was standing next to. A girl of slightly smaller height with equally as long brown hair and her eyes fully on the black haired girl, her mouth moving as she spoke to her. Even from here, Yang could tell her eyes were sloshed over and her words were rushed, still it seemed the black haired beauty understood her. Yang had been to plenty of parties, had met plenty of people but this duo had her nearly drooling from the sheer amount of gorgeous coming off of them.

"Pretty, beautiful girls," Sun laughed in her ears, bringing Yang back to reality, "Ripe for the taking. And _I_ can be your wingman/"

Yang gulped… did she mention that she was a lesbian?

"Blake, don't worry. He won't show up, I promise," the brown haired girl calmly said, putting a careful hand on the raven-haired girl's arm. She relished how soft Blake felt under her fingers, but quickly drew her hand back to avoid any suspicion. She turned around and picked up two cups of punch from the table before walking with Blake to a spot where they could relax and drink.

"I know," the girl named Blake sighed, taking the cup Ilia offered, "He'd never risk his image by coming here."

"Then what do you have to worry about?" Her companion questioned through confused eyes. Blake looked at her friend, Ilia, and wondered the same thing. To put it simply, she had a lot to worry about but right in this moment? Nothing. She had nothing to worry about while they were in this house.

Blake gave her friend a small smile, "Ilia, thank you."

Ilia positively beamed at the praise given to her by her friend. For as long as she had known Blake, she had always looked up to her. She learned her likes and dislikes, learned her as a person, she was there whenever Blake needed her. It was perfect, it was like they were sisters.

Ilia couldn't help the awkward dip her face made at the thought, though she was thankful that Blake was too busy downing some of her drink to notice the sudden change. Still, it was ever present in her mind. Ilia took several big mouthfuls of the trashcan punch in her cup, almost chugging the cup entirely. She felt her face contort as she swallowed it down, the alcohol burning her throat on its way down. Still, she knew it would be worth it eventually. She was waiting for the explosion of warmth in her stomach to begin her night. Maybe if she could get Blake drunk too…

"Something on your mind?" Blake asked attentively, completely focused on Ilia as her face flushed. Blake and Ilia were never ones to be sloppy so why was she all of a sudden was she ready for a refill within two minutes of getting their drinks?

Ilia shook her head, a small smile, "Nope, just want you to have a good time. Want anything else to drink?"

Normally, Blake would say no and continue sipping on her drink until she was ready. But she was already here at a big party, surrounded by music, with her best girl friend. Did she want anything drink?

"Hell yeah," Blake said, her current drink going into her mouth in seconds so that way she could have her hands free for whatever else Ilia concocted with her. For this one night, she wouldn't worry about her current problems. For this one night, she wouldn't worry about the repercussions. For this one night, she was going to party with these people and have a good night with her friend Ilia. She deserved that much, especially after what she endured today.

…

" _Didn't I say not to speak to him?!" The bull screamed at Blake, his red hair nearly glowing from the amount of anger he was emitting. Normally, Blake was never on the end of Adam's verbal abuse, but it wasn't like it happened all the time. Especially something so trivial like…_

" _Speaking to a HUMAN?" He bellowed, an angry snarl planted firm on his face. He was mere inches away from Blake, screaming at her. Blake looked at him with wide eyes, wondering if it was truly that serious. What line did she cross by talking to the politician?_

" _Adam, when someone introduces themselves to me and offers to shake my hand, I return the favor," Blake defended, "I don't understand why you're so upset."_

" _Blake," Adam huffed, regaining his composure and taking a small step back, "He is my competition. He is anti-Faunus. I'm trying to pave the way for our kind so that way…" He trailed off, giving himself dramatic effect that Blake fell for every. Single. Time._

"… _so that way our kids, and their kids, and the kids after that never have to grow up the way that we do." He tested the waters by carefully putting his arm out to Blake, who eyed him carefully but granted his request. He put his hand on her cheek, caressing it carefully with his thumb, "I'm not mad at you."_

" _I know you aren't," Blake melted against his touch, "But you need to calm down about these things. What would happen if someone saw you like this? Your supporters could leave."_

 _Adam grew a cocky grin, "They would never leave, just like you won't. You're too important to me to lose, Blake, do you realize that?"_

 _Blake grew a smile, completely smitten by the words the bull was feeding her, "Adam, I lo-"_

" _The Belladonna name supporting me? That means the world! Everyone who followed your father will be bound by loyalty to follow me." Adam sneered at nobody, drawing his hand away from Blake's face. He clasped his hands together, "All I need to win is to keep up the tide of revolution. Promote equality by any means necessary."_

" _Adam, -"_

" _Not now, Blake," Adam sprouted off, continuing to mumble to himself about his future plans. Blake felt her fists balling up, shaking in anger that was quickly building. She could forgive him for a lot of things. She had forgiven him for a lot of things. But this? This confession could not be excused._

" _Is that all that I'm worth to you? My name?" Blake yelled, interrupting the bull from his thoughts as his arms fell to his sides. She felt her anger course through her body and mesh with her soul. There were few things in this world she was passionate about. Her name was one of them. Her father had fought hard to earn the respect of others. Spent years grueling from the laughs and mockeries humans made of him. Yet her father stood to be somebody different than the animal people believed Faunus to be. She was not going to give his hard work over to Adam, not now not ever. She met his eyes viciously, her anger radiating from nearly dilated pupils. He looked at her, his eyes firm on her with no sense of remorse in them._

" _Blake, you mean everything to me," Adam corrected smoothly, his face softening and his arms opening as he stepped in her direction. Blake took a step back, her eyes pressed in anger._

" _Do. Not. Touch. Me." She threatened, retreating in the direction out of the room, "In fact, don't follow me. Don't contact me. I don't want to see you anymore."_

" _Blake, you're being unreasonable-"_

" _DON'T say that. This hasn't been the first time you've used my name to leap forward. Don't forget where you started, Adam, an orphan with no place to go. But I'm sick of holding your pedestal up any longer and you can't stop me from leaving." Blake turned her back to him, she was standing directly in front of the door. If she walked out now…_

" _Blake!" He roared, taking a strong step forward._

 _Blake stopped, her hand on the doorknob as she looked back at the man who she had grown up with. He helped her for so long, or so she thought, but it dawned on her that they were never in love. She was his pawn in the grand scheme of things._

" _Adam, when was the last time you took me out when it wasn't a rally? When was the last time you made love to me? When was the last time you truly checked up on me? Because I'm truly lost on those answers. But," she paused, looking him right in the eyes, "I can tell you when we last fought, when we cheered for you at rallies, when I did things for you. I'm done with being used by you."_

 _With that, Blake opened the door and slammed the door behind her and ran to her car, ignoring the calls that Adam was making to her from the door and eventually her scroll. She quickly blocked his number and scrolled until she found the one person who could take her in tonight. It rang for a few seconds before the voice answered._

" _Hey, Blake, what's up?"_

" _Ilia," Blake said as kindly as she could through her clenched teeth, her eyes threatening to pour over from the tears that accumulated, "Happen to know of any good times tonight?"_

…

By the time that Blake had thought of what led her to tonight, she had had about two more full cups of the punch as well as whatever shots were being poured. Though she was starting to feel flushed and she felt herself becoming more open to dancing in front of all these strangers, she knew that Ilia was going through cups like nobody's business. She had easily had what Blake had in these past couple of minutes and then some. Blake smiled awkwardly, wanting her friend to have a good time but also wanting her to be safe.

"Ilia, how are you feeling?" Blake said, noticing the confusion in her friend's face as she was trying to decipher what Blake was saying. Blake frowned, noticing that it did seem like it got louder in here. She leaned in closer to Ilia's ears, raising her voice so that way her friend could understand her and repeated.

"Freaking awesome," she smiled, her eyes bouncing around in her head as she focused on Blake, "This is some good stuff."

"Well, try not to overdo it," Blake chuckled, before briefly looking through her peripheral to see two figures walking towards her. Her curiosity killed her and she turned her head, seeing a rather confident blond man and a blonde girl headed straight for them. She risked a look back at Ilia who was still drinking and sighed, knowing she would be the main person to respond.

She watched the yellow haired duo approach, with the man keeping his ever-persistent smile firm on his face, Blake had to admit, it did ease her mood a little and she even returned it in a much smaller form.

Sun flung his hand out eagerly once he was close enough, "Hey there, newcomers, how are you tonight?"

Blake accepted his hand, "Amazing. How'd you know we were new?"

Sun looked over at Yang, who gave him a playful eye roll, "Well, two reasons. One, I'm the host of the grand outing so I know the list I sent out and two… I'd remember pretty girls like yourselves."

Blake felt a chill rush down her spine, like she was doing something wrong, but she pushed through. She knew that she had to push Adam away, but shouldn't she have some respect? _It's not even as bad as you're making it, you're at a party full of young adults, what did you expect?_ She mentally scolded herself. She looked the man up and down, not failing to notice his open shirt before glancing at the girl next to him. She willed confidence to course through her veins before smiling warmly at the strangers, "My name is Blake, and my friend over here," nodding over to Ilia, who was still drinking, "is Ilia. You guys have names?" Blake played around, letting her liquid confidence show.

"Sun," he smiled brilliantly and then jerked his thumb over to the girl next to him, "and this is Yang."

"Siblings?" Blake questioned, trying to figure out their relation.

The blond pair looked at each other watching each other's cheeks fill up with air before bursting out into hysterics, with Sun nearly bent over from his loud laughter. Blake watched as the two laughed loud, slapping each other on the back as if it were the funniest statement to ever exist. Blake guessed they weren't siblings. She smiled as the pair continued their mirth, but she noticed how the girl, Yang, kept making solid eye contact with her. Blake brushed it off.

After a full minute later, their hysterics began to quell, with Sun wiping a small tear from his eye. "Hoo, you sure got us there. Keep forgetting you guys are new," he smiled, "Yang's one of my best friends, she's typically here when I DJ."

Blake raised an eyebrow, "You DJ?"

Sun felt Yang's fingers on his back, pinching him before he went on a stream of gushing over his love of music. Yang admired the guy's passion and all, but didn't he promise to be her wingman?

Sun laughed, feeling his reminder to not overdo it through his shirt, "Sure do, but a story for another time. Let me make my rounds real quick and I'll come back with some more drinks. Yang will take good care of you while I'm gone."

With that, he left, giving Yang a thumbs up before he went missing in the crowd, some already calling his name.

"So, uh," Yang began, combatting the silence that Sun left in his wake, trying to be as smooth as he is was challenging, "What brings you and Ilia here tonight?"

 _Stupid fights_.

"Oh," Blake smiled, checking up on Ilia, who was listening in to the conversation, "Just needed a good night out."

"Well, you came to the right place. Wanna have a seat while we wait for the drinks?"

"Sure-"

" _I'm_ gonna go to the hic-bathroom, Blake, I'll see you in a hic-bit," Ilia sludged, turning her back on the pair left behind. Blake turned her head away from Yang, concern decorating her features.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Blake asked, Yang already feeling her good time fading as her face fell.

"Nuh uh, I won't be long."

Annnnnnnnd good time is back.

Yang picked her smile back up and led Blake to the couch she had left earlier, surprised at the fact that it was still open. Hey, everything was going good so far. She figured it was a gift from the cosmos for all that crappy things that had happened tonight.

"So what brings you here?" Blake started the conversation again, intent on watching her new friend. The girl was mid-sip, which made Blake feel momentarily bad for speaking in that second. She didn't really have a lot to offer to the stranger, but she seemed nice enough, so why not act on it? It also helped that Blake had a _lot_ to drink.

Yang, on the other hand, was just hit in the face with crippling guilt as she remembered why she was here. She had fallen for Sun's plan and was now in the presence of a beautiful girl that she had no intention of leaving. It did well in distracting her for past few minutes but she was now hit with the memory of her darling sister left behind. She was truly the worst.

Yang shrugged it off, "Like Sun says, I like to support him when he plays his music since he's the one that got me into this scene to begin with. It's a great to meet new people and unwind from the week." And leaned back into the couch, her hands resting behind her head as she took a small sigh to emphasize her relaxation.

Blake smiled warmly, her own body following suit after Yang's as she rested into the couch.

"You gotta boyfriend?"

Blake opened her eyes, which she didn't know were shut, as she was taken back by the question. She looked to Yang who looked back at her expectantly.

"Excuse me?" Blake rattled off.

Yang seemed to not notice the higher shrillness in Blake's voice as she repeated her question, "Boyfriend? Also can be known as boy toy, your man, your partner. Maybe even a girlfriend?"

Blake mulled it over quickly, knowing that Yang was just making conversation. She just hadn't known that it was going to take this turn so quickly.

"N-no," Blake carefully confessed, "I'm… recently out of a relationship."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Blake," Yang said, her hand moving to rest on Blake's shoulders. Blake averted her eyes carefully as she felt the hand on her shoulder tighten in strength. Yang meant no ill will, Blake knew that, but with the recent events, it stung nonetheless. Blake felt Yang's hand move from her shoulder and instead it came to a careful rest under her chin. Yang moved Blake's chin to meet her face, giving Blake such a genuine smile.

"You're going to be okay," Yang said, her eyes shining as they stared into Blake's eyes, "I promise."

Blake didn't know why a stranger was promising her things. She didn't know what good it would do for her situation in reality. Blake bit her lip, if these things were true then why did it feel so good to hear? She looked at Yang, who was still giving her that gentle smile, and felt herself be daring for once in her life.

Blake's body moved forward on its own will, wanting to be closer to the current comfort of her life. She had to admit, she was a sucker for the smiles. Adam had rarely ever smiled anymore and to still see such happiness in the world? To see it grace the face of someone? It was the most rare treat of all. Blake carefully licked her lips, she didn't care if Yang was a girl, she wanted to savor the taste.

Yang saw Blake carefully closing the gap between them and smirked in her mind as she began her own journey forward. As much as Blake was visually appealing, she did know that breakups sucked and sometimes a stranger was all that you needed. Yang knew she didn't want anything serious, so she was down for being the rebound. She was used to that.

Suddenly, Blake froze, feeling a sudden bugging vibration against her. It brought her back to reality, realizing that she was mere inches from Yang, who stopped advancing when she had. Blake offered her a quick smile before pulling out her scroll. Her heart pounded for one second, realizing that it wasn't Adam but Ilia who had messaged her.

 _Meet me in the bathrom pls_

Blake straightened up, quickly responding, _Be right there._

She gave the concerned blonde a sad smile, already moving her legs to stand up.

"Everything okay?" Yang asked, her face scrunching together as if something important had happened. Blake smiled to the girl once more, it was so easy when she let loose a little, and nodded.

"Ilia needs me in the bathroom, she has had a bit more to drink than she should've," Blake chuckled one she rose to her full height, "I'll bring her back."

"Want me to come with you?" Yang offered, already straightening her body out to rise with Blake.

"No, don't worry about it, save those seats."

With that, Blake turned her back on the girl and walked, giving Yang a view that made her _wish_ that Blake would turn around sooner. Knowing that Yang was looking, Blake swung herself a little more loosely. Blake chuckled to herself, already feeling the heat of Yang's embarrassment from looking warm her. Yang watched until Blake was completely out of sight and then she leaned back, her arms going behind her head again and a small smile decorating her face.

Why was she upset again?

Soon, Blake made it to the front of the closed wooden door that was engraved 'bathroom' on it. Other doors engraved other things such as 'bedroom' and 'closet' and Blake raised a curious eyebrow. How many parties did Sun have to warrant such labels?

She shook her head, remembering her task at hand and knocked on the door in front of her. "Ilia?" Blake spoke loudly, her rattling of the door becoming quicker and louder the more time had passed without answer, "Ilia!" she called louder.

Before she could open her mouth again, the door opened and pulled Blake in, shutting again without a moment's notice. Blake blinked and suddenly found herself pressed against the door, Ilia's hungry dull eyes staring into her, her tongue licking her lips.

"I-Ilia," Blake stuttered as Ilia found herself leaning closer to her. Blake heard a sniff as Ilia brought her nose closer to Blake's body, as if relishing the smell Blake was radiating.

"Blake," Ilia returned, a sly smile on her face as she spoke the black haired girl's name. She pushed herself again Blake, her body firmly on top of hers.

Blake tried her best to push herself back against the wooden door, trying to find space between her and her friend. Blake knew that Ilia played for the other team but… since when did she have a thing for Blake?

"Ilia, I don't-"

"Shhhhh sh sh," Ilia refuted, placing a heavy finger on Blake's lips, her surly smile growing, "You've got nothing to worry about anymore. He's gone."

Blake's eyes widened, her lips still being pressed on by Ilia. She knew she meant that she was free from Adam but that was not what Blake meant. She didn't want this. She didn't want Ilia near her like this, she never saw Ilia as this person and she never saw her in a romantic way. But, Blake realized, that Ilia had seen her this way. For all their time spent as friends, Blake replayed every close moment, every eye caught, and came to the conclusion the Ilia… wanted to be with her. With Adam being gone, this was the time to strike.

Or, at least, that's how Ilia's drunken mind thought.

Blake made eye contact with Ilia, who seemed to appreciate the notion and took it as acceptance, maybe even figuring it to be welcoming. Ilia removed her finger from Blake's lips, eagerly wanting to replace her finger for something much more passionate. Ilia leaned in, a mere small space separating her and-

"Ilia, **NO**."

With that Ilia stopped like a deer in the headlights, her body freezing from the sudden roar that escaped Blake's mouth. She remained still, her mind racing from the quick reality check bestowed upon her. She had waited so long for a moment with Blake, yearned for some sort of intimacy with her. With Adam out of the picture, this seemed like a good of a chance as any. But, if this was such a good chance, why was Blake looking at her like that? Why were there tears threatening to escape her eyes as she stared hard into Ilia? What had she done to Blake? Her friend?

She relinquished her hold on Blake, releasing her body and taking a step back. She turned, hoping that Blake would just leave her alone and in her thoughts. She wanted to be punished for this. She was to take Blake out for a good time, to comfort her in a time when she needed a friend the most. Not this. Anything but this.

Ilia felt a soft hand on her shoulder and she closed her eyes, pressing them together tightly in hopes that she didn't have to see Blake.

"Ilia, are you okay?" Blake asked tenderly, a careful squeeze given to her shoulder. Ilia couldn't believe the words that Ilia had uttered from her mouth. That after Ilia tried to forcefully kiss Blake, Blake was instead asking if _Ilia_ was okay? Where did her selflessness end?

"You've had a lot to drink tonight, lets go home," Blake offered warmly, making Ilia feel even guiltier through her shut eyes. She didn't even have to open them to know that Blake was smiling her angelic smile. It was one of her most fine features and Ilia was undeserving of such treasures.

"I… leave me alone," Ilia whispered, shaking off Blake's hand, "Just leave me alone tonight." She turned quickly, running past Blake and opening the door she had just forced her friend against. Ilia sickened herself, which she used as fuel to push her body past the crowds of people blocking her from the exit.

"Ilia!" Blake yelled as she tried to keep up with her friend, who was gaining distance between Blake which each passing second. It wasn't until Blake felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist that she realized the chase occurring.

"Woah woah woah, what's going on?" A certain voice pierced into Blake's thoughts as she struggled through the arms. She looked back with a crazed look in her eyes, recognizing the person as Yang.

"Let me go! I need to get to Ilia!" Blake yelled ravenously, still pushing against Yang's arms, which tightened against Blake.

"Blake, you're not the most sober person here right now," Yang chided, but a concerned look graced her features, "Ilia isn't either. How about I help you go look?"

Blake relaxed herself against Yang, still looking at the door which Ilia had exited. Yang had a point, Blake was in no condition to be driving, she was in no condition to console Ilia. It seemed that Blake had to trust this stranger.

"Fine, but we need to go now," Blake said with a frown, finally feeling herself be released from Yang's strong arms. She turned back to see Yang waving around some keys off her finger with her every bright smile firm on her pure face.

"No problem," she said, grabbing Blake's hand to lead her out, "Sure hope you don't have problems with motorcycles."

Blake, though brimming with fear and worry for her friend, still found herself smiling at the blonde with energy that could make a child envious. She knew everything would be okay.

...

Everything was _NOT_ okay. Blake's hopefulness had fallen considerably from the hours and hours of looking for Ilia. Even Yang was having a hard time keeping the atmosphere light hearted and upbeat, her own worries and fears becoming more apparent as she sped through the city on her bike.

Blake bit at her lip, her frustrations becoming more apparent as she replayed the night's events over and over again. Looking for any sort of fragment of information that could uncover where exactly Ilia was. Whether it was true or not, Blake found that she was responsible for her friend. By letting her run away drunk and repulsed by herself, she had pushed Ilia to an edge that she didn't know was there. Blake pushed herself tighter against Yang, cursing herself for her shortcomings.

"Hey, Blake," Yang's voice sounded, her bike's roaring engine quieting as she parked, "I… I don't know what else to do. We've looked everywhere and it's been hours."

Blake pushed herself up off of Yang, a dead look in her eye, "We keep looking."

Yang sighed, knowing this was coming, "Her scroll is off and we've been searching for hours. We need rest before we can find her. Odds are that she doesn't want to be found right now."

Blake cursed her Faunus friend's ability to camouflage herself to her environment. She could only be seen when she wanted to and it bugged Blake to no end that she probably knew where Blake was but chose to keep herself hidden out of pure shame of the night. Blake didn't care anymore, she just wanted her friend safe.

"Yang, please, just one more lap around-"

"You said that three laps ago," Yang fizzled, her tone frustrated at the situation, "Blake, let her figure herself out."

"What if she's alone?" Blake argued back, "She would never leave me alone, I can't just stop looking for her."

"She's drunk and she made a move on her best friend, you really think she wants to see you right now?" Yang reasoned, sliding her leg over and off from her bike and stretching from riding for so long.

Blake narrowed her eyes at the blonde still stretching, "I don't care-"

"I'm going to give you an offer," Yang smiled as she interrupted, her arms out front of her crossed as they gave an audible _pop_ noise. She waited as the black haired girl looked her up and down, her eyes still squinting. Yang saw a small nod for her to continue, so she did.

"This is my place," Yang said, referring to the apartment complex behind her, "We just up here for a bit, sleep off some of the alcohol, and we hit the road again once we're up."

Blake huffed, "Yang, if you think I can rest-"

"Oh, I know you could, you just won't let yourself. But you have to realize that you'll be better at searching when you aren't rubbing your eyes constantly from exhaustion."

As if on queue, Blake raised her arm to rub her eye but fought the urge as she brought her arm back down, noticing Yang's winning grin on her face. Along with her grin though, she wore fatigue. Her eyes were bloodshot from riding her bike all night, the wind drying out her eyes heavily. Blake thought about how Yang had literally drove her around the entire city multiple times for her friend, how she didn't complain once. They made simple talk while they rode, but Yang didn't mention the close moment they had together earlier in the night. All she was asking for now was some rest.

Blake sighed, "You realize I've known this girl for years, right? She's my best friend?"

Yang nodded, "Which is why you should be in the best possible condition possible when you find her and not, well, this," she finished, referring to the mess that Blake looked. Blake raised an eyebrow and looked down to herself, being a passenger to Yang's driving was no joke but she withstood it. Still, the repercussions from the high speeds shown with her hair a tangled mess and her clothes wrinkled horribly. She was also sure that her own tiredness was seeping into her features, as her every movement now seemed slowed.

"Not that you don't look great," Yang inserted awkwardly after the few seconds of silence, "You just... y'know?"

Blake smiled softly, "I know."

Yang walked up to the girl, still sitting on the bike, and offered her arm, "I don't want you to stop, I want you to slow down."

The words resonated with Blake, like she had heard it before, in another life. She shook it off, still offering Yang her tight smile as she grabbed ahold of Yang's arm. Two different sides of her were fighting in Blake's mind, on one side was reason and on the other side was beliefs. She needed to find the balance if she were to be any good at all.

"Okay."

That was all it took. Blake held the girl's arm and followed as Yang led the way. Blake thought that, by now, she would be sick of following others around. But this seemed different. Yang gave her a whole new sense of comfort and it had only been a singular night. She didn't place her faith in the stranger, not yet, but she came pretty damn close to.

Blake yawned as she followed the pretty girl throughout her complex, her movements dragging on as she body fought the urge to knockout then and there. She swore she could feel Yang's smug smirk from behind her, which Blake mentally stuck her tongue out to.

Eventually, Blake found herself standing to the side of Yang who was placing the keys in until a click emitted. Blake swore there was no sweeter sound. Yang smiled and moved to the side, letting Blake in first.

"I live with my sister," Yang supplied, "You can take my room."

Blake blushed.

"I-I'll take the couch, I didn't mean like-"

Blake chuckled, following the girl's lead into the place. She took in the sights as various pieces of artwork on the wall. The cleanliness of the place was also great and it seemed there was a warm theme to the room. Blake appreciated it, having come from bare bones when it came to having a home.

She noticed how Yang grabbed the doorknob to one door, silently opening the door and ushering her in. Blake followed and, once again, took in the room. Warm colors once again decorated the room, several shades of yellows and oranges were in her bed sheets and curtains. It made her feel like she was living on the sun, just without the heat. She could clearly see where Yang gathered her energy.

Within the minute, Yang approached her with clothes in hand and nudging Blake, "These will be a bit more comfortable than that. Bathroom is right through that door." Yang pointed before moving her hand to her mouth, fighting a yawn, "I'm gonna head to the couch." She had gotten to the door before she heard Blake mumble. Yang turned around, a confused look on her face as she saw the dark haired girl shuffling in the middle of her room. She nearly melted when she saw Blake clearly fighting herself in a pouty expression.

"Yang, thank you."

With a strong smile and nod, Yang was out the door and within seconds she was plopped onto her living room couch, a warm proud feeling surging in her chest. She gave one heavy sigh before she rested her head on a pillow, recollecting the night's events before finally finding peace and being allowed to drift to sleep.

She was completely unaware of Blake smiling as she changed and Ruby's tear streaked face just beyond those bedroom doors.

She had no idea at all.


End file.
